Member of the Moroccan Federation.

Ismail Zitouni, a member of the Moroccan Football Federation (Royal University), confirmed that the project that the federation has been leading for years is the reason for the successive successes achieved by the Atlas Lions team, noting that the president of the federation, Fouzi Laqia, played a key role in convincing a large number of people to represent people of dual nationality who are close; wearing the jersey of the Spanish national team.

Al-Zeytouni said on Egypt’s Mega FM radio station today, Wednesday, that Morocco’s qualification for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup after their victory over the Netherlands has made Arab fans happy, stressing that what the team achieved was not a fluke.

“We made the Arab people happy after defeating the Dutch national team. This is an achievement that we have been working on for years, and we have lived up to the expectations of the fans.”

He explained that the Moroccan project depends on long-term planning, noting that the federation has focused on attracting professional players in Europe for years.

“Since Fawzi Laqia took over the presidency of the Moroccan league, his aim was to convince professional players and dual nationalities in Europe to represent Morocco and we succeeded with a large number of players like Hakim Ziyech and Ibrahim Diaz, and Achraf Hakim was close to representing him, but we managed to get him to represent Spain.

He added that the Moroccan national team currently includes players active in the strongest European championships, preserving the identity of Morocco.

“We have players who play in the biggest European leagues in football in accordance with the Moroccan ideology and preserve the Moroccan identity. We look at Ayoub Bouadi, who joined the national team for the first time and was well thought of, in addition to key elements such as Yassine Bounou, but the most important thing is that the Moroccan team serves the whole team.”

Zitouni also praised the work done by the technical director Walid Regraghi, at the same time emphasizing that the continuation of any coach in football remains related to the results.

“We respect the great work that Walid Regragi has done with the Moroccan national team, but his departure is a common occurrence in football and the continuity of results is a true sign of success.”

Semi-final ambition

The member of the University of Morocco spoke about the ambitions of the team in the current World Cup tournament, emphasizing that reaching the semi-finals again is the primary goal.

He said: “Nothing is accidental for us, rather, everything is done with concentration and planning, and today our ambition is high, which is to be in the semi-finals of the World Cup, as was the case in the previous game.”

He added: “The road to the finals of the World Cup will be full of difficulties, but we have the possibilities and capabilities to reach the semi-finals.”

Regarding the upcoming confrontation against Canada, Al-Zeytouni emphasized that it will not be easy, at the same time praising the level presented by Yasin Bunu.

He said: “It will not be easy to face Canada. Yassin Bounu always lives up to the expectations of the Moroccan fans and his level is extremely high.”

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Comparison between Bono and Hadari

He also refused to make direct comparisons between Bono and former Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, adding: “It is difficult to compare them, because they are both goalkeepers of the highest level.”

He continued. “Essam El-Hadary has a great history, which is the High Dam, and he helped the Egyptian national team win the Africa Cup of Nations three times.”

In another context, Al-Zeytouni spoke about the appointment of Moroccan Hussein Amouta as the technical director of Al-Ahli club, stressing that the club’s management made a good choice.

Amuta challenge with Al-Ahly

He said: “I know Hussain Amuta closely and he was a great player. He is also a coach with a very strong personality on and off the pitch.”

He added: “He has a special playing style and uses it on the field. I am sure that he will succeed with “Al-Ahly” and return the team to its usual position.

Al-Zeytouni concluded his remarks by sending his best wishes to the Egyptian team at the World Cup, saying: “I hope that the Egyptian national team will reach the farthest stage of the tournament to respect Arab and African football, especially since Morocco, Egypt and Algeria represent the Arab teams that qualify for the play-off stage of the World Cup.”